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JOURNAL
Fire & Rescue
A publication of the North Carolina Department of Insurance Office of State Fire Marshal Summer/Fall 2009
What’s Hot Inside
Important Information about Grants and Relief Fund............2-3....................... National Firefighter Combat Challenge 2009
Looking Back:......................................................................6-7.................... Wilmington Terminal and Warehouse Company
Fire and Rescue Instructor Conference.................................8-9............................ Holding Live Fire Instructors Accountable
Inspection Tips.................................................................... 11................................................................ New Fire Museum
The 2009 North Carolina Fallen Firefighters
Memorial Service Honors Heroism and Sacrifice
The North Carolina Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NCFFF) held the 2009 Fallen
Firefighters Memorial Service on Saturday May 2, 2009 at the North Carolina Fallen
Firefighter’s Memorial campus in downtown Raleigh. Hundreds of firefighters and
families from across the state paid tribute to 11 firefighters who lost their lives in the line of
duty in 2008.
The event started with a “Parade of Heroes.” Fire department apparatus from each of
the newly honored firefighters’ departments, along with past fallen firefighter departments
participated. The memorial service opened with remarks from NCFFF President, Rocky
Mount Fire Department Division Chief Walter E. Jones. North Carolina Governor Beverly
Purdue then addressed the families and North Carolina Insurance Commissioner and State
Fire Marshal Wayne Goodwin read the name of each firefighter lost in the line-of-duty
during the “last call” ceremony.
Peg O’Connell, wife of late Insurance Commissioner and State Fire Marshal Jim Long,
also addressed all in attendance by thanking firefighter families for their sacrifice in allowing
their loved ones to serve others. In addition, Mrs. O’Connell stressed the importance
of firefighter health and wellness, and urged all firefighters and their families to take
care of themselves by exercising, eating a proper diet, and performing routine medical
examinations.
This year the NCFFF has made footage from the 4th Annual North Carolina Fallen
Firefighters Memorial Service available for download through their Web site. If you would
like to view the memorial service, visit www.eventbywire.com/viewevent/?id=915-897.
In 2008, 114 firefighters died in the line-of-duty across the nation. Out of 114 line-of-duty
deaths, North Carolina led the nation for the year with 11 deaths. As of May 20, 39
firefighters from across the nation made the ultimate sacrifice with two line-of-duty deaths
in North Carolina.
(Above-Top) Peg O’Connell addresses the families and firefighters
at the memorial service. (Above-Middle) The Atlantic Beach Fire
Department Pipe and Drums perform “Amazing Grace.” (Above-
Bottom) Pictured Left to Right - Peg O’Connell, Commissioner Wayne
Goodwin, NCFFF Chaplain Dr. Mark Holland, NCFFF Director Ranger
Robert Smith, NCFFF President Division Chief Walter E. Jones and
NCFFF Director Doug Cline stand at attention as the families of the
fallen firefighters enter.
The following NC firefighters were honored and added
to the memorial this year:
William T. Barnes, October 9, 1924, Hope/Greenville
Paul L. Ellington, January 1, 2008, Oregon Hill
Herman S. Jones, January 22, 2008, Raleigh
James E. Arthur, February 11, 2008, Cold Water
Victor A. Isler, March 7, 2008, Salisbury
Justin E. Monroe, March 7, 2008, Salisbury
Walter W. Michl, March 16, 2008, Roanoke-Wildwood
Rufus E. Brinson, Jr., June 6, 2008, Reelsboro
Colin G. Thomas, June 14, 2008, Verona
George F. Crocker, June 22, 2008, Pine Level
Curtis L. Jessen, August 21, 2008, NC Forestry Service
Carol I. Taylor, November 14, 2008, Goldsboro
The Fire & Rescue Journal
2
As I write this we’re already
in the thick of preparing
for Fire Prevention Week
2009. I remember it was one of
Commissioner Long’s favorite
programs here at the Department
of Insurance and it’s fast becoming
one of my favorites as well. Fire
Prevention Week starts on Oct. 4
this year. As a member of the fire
and rescue community, you are a
hero to those around you. Please
take this opportunity to talk to
the members of your community,
especially the youngest members,
about fire safety. It’s truly one of
the most important jobs you do.
Nationally, more than 100,000
children are hurt in fires each year.
Let’s beat those statistics in North
Carolina.
In the past, we’ve sent our Fire
Prevention Week materials to
schools. But you requested them
for your school programs and open
houses, so this year we’re sending
the children’s materials directly to
you. They’re free, but you must
order them online. If you haven’t
already done so, please go to our
Fire Prevention Web site, www.
ncsafekids.org/fireprevention.
We’re only taking orders online,
and these are available to each fire
department on a first-come, first-serve
basis. There are pads of three
different activity sheets for three
different age groups. You can view
the sheets at the Fire Prevention
site under “Fire Prevention
Materials.” I hope this is a way
that we can help you do your jobs
even better.
I hope that you will take
advantage of these free materials
available to your fire department.
I also encourage you to make
arrangements to visit your local
elementary school or hold an
open house during Fire Prevention
Week. North Carolina’s fire and
rescue service has some of the best
workers in the entire country, and
I know that we can work together
to prevent fire-related injuries and
deaths in our state.
Thanks for your continued
dedication to protecting your
communities!
Free Fire Prevention Week Materials Now
Available to You
Wayne Goodwin, Insurance Commissioner & State Fire Marshal
Mark Edwards, Assistant Commissioner
Tim Bradley, Assistant State Fire Marshal
Executive Editor
Kristin Milam, Director of Public Information
Managing Editor
Chris Best, Supervisor, Research and Program Development
Associate Editor
Johanna Royo, Assistant Director of Public Information
Graphic Designer
Trisha Tripp
Editorial Assistant
Karen Holder
The Fire & Rescue Journal is a quarterly publication of the
N.C. Department of Insurance Office of State Fire Marshal
1202 Mail Service Center • Raleigh, NC 27699
Questions, comments or story ideas should be directed to
Chris Best at 919-661-5880 x332 or chris.best@ncdoi.gov.
To sign up for the mailing list or to submit an address change, contact
Trisha Tripp at 919-733-5238 or trisha.tripp@ncdoi.gov.
2,300 copies of the Journal, which is funded through a grant from the North
Carolina Association of Insurance Agents, were printed at a cost of $2,074.
by Insurance Commissioner and State Fire Marshal Wayne Goodwin
JOURNAL
Fire & Rescue
From the Commissioner’s Desk
Volunteer Fire Department Fund —
Recipients of the 2009 Volunteer
Fire Department Fund dollar-for-
dollar matching grants were
announced on May 15, and the
recipients are posted on our Web
site, www.ncdoi.com/osfm.
Invoices for approved equipment
must be postmarked to our
office no later than Sept. 30. We
recommend submitting invoices
via certified mail. Original invoices
must be mailed for the matching
funds to be released from our
office. The invoice should have
an order date, ship date and the
organization’s legal (charter) name.
Failure to comply will result in a
delay in receiving the matching
funds.
Volunteer Rescue/EMS Fund — In
early August, the 2009 Volunteer
Rescue/EMS Fund dollar-for-dollar
matching grant applications
will be mailed to all known rescue
and EMS providers. The grant
matches up to $25,000 toward
purchasing equipment and
making capital improvements.
Applications are due back to
OSFM postmarked no later than
Oct.1. We recommend submitting
applications via certified mail.
Firefighters’ Relief Fund — In mid-
August, OSFM mailed the 2009
Report of Fire Condition forms to
the City or County Clerk/Finance
Office for each fire district(s)
served by a rated fire department.
The Report of Fire Condition
must be postmarked to our
office every year by Oct. 31. We
recommend that the City/County
Clerk/Finance Officer to submit
the Report of Fire Condition via
certified mail.
Important Information from the Volunteer Fire and Rescue Grant Programs
and the Firefighter Relief Fund
Summer/Fall 2009
3
Monroe Hosts National Firefighter Combat Challenge
Hundreds braved record heat
in Monroe on May 16
to watch more than 250
competitors battle through what
is known as the “toughest two
minutes in sports.” The National
Firefighter Combat Challenge
stopped in Monroe during its 25
city tour where firefighters from
as far away as Quebec, Canada
competed against the clock.
Firefighters compete in a five-event
course. First, a five-story
climb while carrying a 45-pound
hose bundle then, the hose hoist
where they pull a bundle of
hose up the five stories that they
just climbed. Firefighters then
continue down the stairs, where
they are required to touch every
step, to the Keiser machine where
they are required to “beat the
block” and lay the hammer down
in a specified area. Next up is
the hose drag where firefighters
extend a 100 foot charged 1 ¾
line through a door and flow at a
marked target. Finally, firefighters
face the dreaded victim rescue
portion where they must drag a
175 lb. Rescue Randy mannequin
backwards for 100 feet. The course
unquestionably tests the abilities
and agility of every participant.
It was close as firefighters
raced to the finish line. Brandon
Cunningham of Fort Gordon,
Ga., finished in first place with
a time of 1:23.18. Bruce Fields,
Greensboro Fire Department, took
the second spot with a time of
1:39.13. The third place winner
in the individual competition was
David Bowman of the Charlotte
Fire Department, who finished
with a time of 1:42.48. The top
two competitors in the “Over 40”
category were David Bowman
and Byron McDonald, from the
Owensboro Fire Department.
Duane Cheek from the Winston
Salem Fire Department wrapped
up the individual races as the
“Over 50” winner.
While the competitors race
for trophies and prizes, the main
focus is on firefighter fitness. As
Brandon Cunningham put it,
“Thirteen firefighters have already
died this year from heart-related
illnesses. Firefighter fitness must
remain at the forefront if we are
going to reduce these line-of-duty
deaths.”
(Above) Members from the Winston Salem Fire Department go head-to-head.
(Below) Nathan Calendar from Paris Island races for the finish line.
Firefighter Fatalities in North Carolina article clarification — Traumatic injury has now been determined as Michael Browne’s
cause of death. Browne was a member of Acme-Delco-Riegelwood Fire and Rescue. His cause of death was unknown when the last issue of the
Fire & Rescue Journal went to print.
What makes an emergency
services department effective
in its operations? If we were
to make a list, we might come
up with some of the following:
personnel, budget, equipment,
communications, leadership
and management and plenty of
resources. However, what makes
all of these things effective? The
answer is training! Training helps
managers get the most out of
their personnel, this in turn helps
achieve the department’s goals.
By training our personnel we can
also teach the enthusiasm to learn.
After we understand why we train,
we need to know how to train and
keep that enthusiasm going.
In an effort to help training
efforts, OSFM has created a
section on the Web site called
“Pocket Tools Training.” This
section has been live for several
months, and it offers a variety of
training opportunities including
downloadable video segments
and photos of basic and advanced
skills, PowerPoint programs,
and advanced programs such
as the IAFC’s Ethanol course.
Pocket Tools training also offers
your department accessible
and straightforward training
opportunities in the form of
Quick Drills. The focal point of
the quick drills section is to get
back to the basics. These drills
are put together, not to take away
from daily or weekly training
sessions, but to re-center attention
to the fundamental practices that
allow responders to safely return
home from a call.
To visit the Pocket Tools
Training, visit www.ncdoi.com/
osfm and click on the pocket tools
logo.
Online Pocket Tools Training Offers Quick, Free Training Solutions
The Fire & Rescue Journal
4
Reviewing the live fire
incident articles that have
been published in past
journals has provided the luxury of
hindsight to allow the opportunity
to dissect what went wrong during
these training evolutions. These
incidents have also fashioned
the road map for the NFPA
1403 standard to help prevent
such incidents from recurring.
The following observations are
not meant to assign blame to
those involved so much as they
are intended to serve as all–too-hard
learned lessons of live fire
training that turned tragic. While
the cost of these life lessons is
truly unacceptable, the best way
to honor the memory of those
lost is by preventing others from
suffering similar fates.
The precedents established
after our last tragedy revisited
in 2001 Lairdsville, New York
have concerned and upset the
fire service unlike few events
in its history. In the wake of
the heartbreaking loss of a
young firefighter during RIT
training, the assistant chief of
the department was ultimately
criminally prosecuted and
convicted. As much as Lairdsville
may concern officers and
instructors across the country for
setting this precedent, the next
sojourn to Ocseola County, Fla.
should alarm us to an even higher
degree. For it was here that we lost
two experienced firefighters during
live fire training while doing
almost everything right.
Ocseola County surrounds
the large city of Orlando in the
mid-section of Florida. The city
and county departments work
often and well together. So it was
not out of the norm when on July
30, 2002, the two departments
came together to conduct a
training burn at a small house in
the Poinciana community. One
of the objectives for the exercise
was search and rescue drills, with
two-man crews searching for a
mannequin dressed as a firefighter.
The mannequin would be placed
in the kitchen on the ‘C’ side of
the structure for the firefighters to
locate and remove.
The 1,600 square foot, three-bedroom,
two-bath block house
had been renovated through the
years. A former garage on the ‘D’
side of the structure was converted
to living space. It was here
firefighters lit a fire to produce
smoke and heat for the search
crew to battle. Extraordinary
efforts were taken to protect
these searching firefighters. This
included two fire attack teams
standing by, one of which was
located inside the house during
the exercise, as well as four safety
officers assigned to the interior
of the structure. Two of these
four individuals were specifically
tasked with making sure that the
searching crew cleared the fire
room and did not inadvertantly
venture back that way. In addition
to these resources, a RIT was
established in front of the house
and an additional hose line was
placed near the front door.
In what many claim to be the
only true deviance to the 1403
standard on this day, a mattress
was added at the last minute to
the pallets and straw on the fire
set. This was done only because
the pallets were wet from several
hours of heavy rainfall the night
before and the instructors were
concerned that they would not
burn in their saturated condition.
It was later determined that this
variation alone did not cause the
death of the two firefighters, but
that too much fuel was used given
the size of the room, and that the
two fires were set near the only
doorway into and out of the fire
room. Lack of a written burn plan
during the training also stood out
as an oversight in the aftermath of
the day’s events.
The fire was lit and the exercise
began. Almost immediately, and
as expected, conditions in the fire
room became intense, with heavy
black fire filling the room. It is
important to note that this fire
was intended to serve only as a
prop to give the search crew heat
and smoke throughout the house,
so the size of the fire at this point
was of little concern. A firefighter
outside the structure, tasked with
ventilation duties, removed the
window on the A/D side of the
converted garage in an attempt
to alleviate some of the rapidly
worsening conditions. This gave
the fire the much needed air it was
seeking, and a flashover occurred
almost immediately in the room of
origin. Firefighters located inside
the center part of the house later
expressed surprise, not realizing
the room had flashed over so
quickly. No one knew that the two
firefighters from the search and
rescue team, Lt. John Mickel and
Firefighter Dallas Begg, were
continued on page 10...
Live Fire Training Revisited:
Ocseola County, Fla.; 2002
The narrow hallway leading from the living area to the fire room only measured 20 inches wide with two
awkward turns.
A view of the fire room shows the location of the fire sets as well as the only door leading into and out of the renovated garage. This picture is taken from the front or
‘A’ side of the structure, near the A/D window.
Summer/Fall 2009
5
Assistant State Fire Marshal Bradley presents Commissioner Goodwin with his State Fire Marshal helmet.
2009 Calendar of Events
Oct. 15 – 25, 2009
NC State Fair
Safe Kids NC and DOI Booth
Kerr Scott Building
Oct. 4 – 10, 2009
Fire Prevention Week
September 2009
Campus Fire Safety Month
Sept. 20 – 26, 2009
Child Passenger Safety Week
As I write this article I’m
sitting in a motel room in
Washington, DC, while
attending the Congressional Fire
Services Institute. No matter
how many times I come to
Washington, I still marvel at the
sheer grandeur of such a collection
of monuments. I usually take
time to stroll by as many as I can,
yet due to busy schedules, can
rarely take the time to study each
carefully.
The monument to World
War II veterans is one of my
favorites, placed squarely between
the Lincoln Memorial and the
Washington Monument in the
basin. I had two uncles wounded
on D-Day, one of whom just
passed away a few weeks ago.
Looking at the memorial this
year had special significance. The
Vietnam Memorial also has special
meaning since it was a war of my
generation. It is one of the most
visited monuments in Washington
today.
Thomas Jefferson, probably
one of the wisest men of modern
times, is also honored by a
memorial, as are many others. I
visited the Korean War monument
for the first time this year and
was awed by the visual strain on
the faces of the soldier statues
walking toward an American Flag.
My father-in-law served there,
and it was easy to reflect upon
how difficult service is when you
sacrifice so much of yourself, while
never really seeing the thanks
of millions who recognize your
contribution. Our country should
fund a trip for every veteran who
served, so that they could come
and see the memorial that stands
in their honor, whichever one it
may be. Sometimes our country
seems gracious in its compliments
to service, yet on a personal level,
you wonder how many ever get
thanked individually. For those of
you who served our country, I’d
like to say thank you. I can’t speak
individually to each of you, but
if I could, I’d tell you about your
memorial, and what it meant to
me when I saw it.
Another thing that strikes
you when you see the memorials
here is how much our country
has changed. In many cases we
have benefited from conflicts,
yet in others we are so slow to
learn. At the Lincoln Monument,
when it was dedicated in the
1920s, black dignitaries were
seated separate from the white
dignitaries. That was close to
60 years after the Civil War, yet
you turn and look over your left
shoulder at the Memorial Bridge
that carries over to Arlington,
and you’re told that it was built
to symbolize the reconnection
or reunification of our country
after the War Between the
States. Today we don’t segregate,
thankfully, but how long after a
war did it take for us to recognize
what “created equal” means.
Even though the inscriptions at
the Jefferson Memorial carry his
words of equality, it’s taken until
our generation to see those fruits
finally evolve. We can only be
thankful that we aren’t always that
slow to learn.
One of the discussions
occurring in the meetings I
attended during the week here
involved the continued push
toward residential sprinklers.
Before you yawn and say “there he
goes again,” give it some thought.
Even proponents of them, such
as myself, recognize and agree
that problems exist in their
implementation, yet how many
lives will be lost before all of us
come to realize that in our modern
age, losing a child in a house fire
doesn’t have to happen. And that
it is incumbent on all of us to
figure out how to make it work.
As I’ve told advocates, find
a way to make them profitable
for the masses, and society will
figure a way to make them work.
We can fix those problems that
stand in the way, but before we
can, there must be a change in
our community’s way of thinking.
Looking at the memorials
reminded me of that. Jefferson
never saw his memorial, nor did
Lincoln, yet thousands see it every
day who never met either man.
Years from now children will walk
away from a house fire in some
unknown community of our
state and a fire chief will casually
remark that the sprinklers did
their job. We may not see it, they
won’t know us, but the life of the
child will be a memorial to all who
worked to finally get the job done.
You wouldn’t think of buying a
car without seatbelts, yet three
decades ago mandatory use was a
hot debate. How many lives have
those saved? We can do this for
our society, not only because we
must, but because that is the kind
of country we are.
Senator Robert F. Kennedy
said in 1966, that “Few will have
the greatness to bend history
itself; but each of us can work to
change a small portion of events,
and in the total of all those acts,
will be written the history of this
generation.” Being recognized for
valor, for working in a career that
protects the public means a lot to
each of us, but wouldn’t it be great
during your retirement to read
that quote in the news from a local
fire chief that said the person lived
because the sprinklers did their
job? We can sit back and smile
and realize one of the things that
defined our generation was the
hundreds of lives that will be saved
by residential sprinklers. We can
make that happen, each of us, one
step at a time.
Memorial Reflections
by Assistant State Fire Marshal Tim Bradley
Looking Forward...
For those of you who served our
country, I’d like to say thank you. I
can’t speak individually to each of
you, but if I could, I’d tell you about
your memorial, and what it meant to
me when I saw it.
The Fire & Rescue Journal
6
Looking Back:
Wilmington Terminal and Warehouse Company
On March 9, 1953,
the Wilmington Fire
Department faced one
of its largest and costliest fires in
city history. The fire, located in a
warehouse complex on the Cape
Fear River, pushed the department
to its limits and then some. It
seemed for a time that the city’s
waterfront would be completely
wiped out.
Multiple Buildings Involved
The fire occurred at the
Wilmington Terminal and
Warehouse Company, part
of a large complex of seven
warehouses. The warehouses
were perpendicular to the river,
with slips between some of
the buildings. Rail access was
alongside each building. All of
the buildings were heavy timber
construction with a brick exterior,
but each had different contents
and protections in place. The
Wilmington Terminal Nitrate
Warehouse was equipped with a
sprinkler system and contained
25,000 tons of sodium nitrate
and 200 tons of fishmeal. The
Wilmington Terminal Tobacco
Storage Warehouse was a one-and
two-story building with
brick firewalls, as well as metal
siding in some areas. It also
was equipped with a sprinkler
system and contained 5 million
pounds of tobacco, 1,000 rolls of
roofing, 275,000 100 lb. paper
bags and 10 barrels of lubricating
oil. Seaboard Air Line Railroad
Warehouse E was under repair
and had no contents. Seaboard
Air Line Railroad Warehouse
D contained 45,000 100lb.
bags of sugar. Seaboard Air
Line Railroad Warehouses A,
B, and C had various contents.
Warehouse A contained grocery
supplies, Warehouses B and C
had fertilizer materials, including
calcium ammonium nitrate and
ammonium sulphate. Most of the
warehouses were constructed in
1901 and were around 50,000 to
80,000 square feet in size.
The Alarm Goes Out
At 8:55 that Monday morning,
an alarm was transmitted to the
Wilmington Fire Department
for a fire at the Wilmington
Terminal Nitrate Warehouse.
The initial response to the fire
included Chief J.L. Croom, First
Assistant Chief J.A. West, Engine
Companies 1 and 3, and the
fireboat Atlantic III. En route to
the fire, heavy smoke was noticed
by the responding companies. On
arrival, both engines laid in from
the closest hydrant using 2½ inch
supply lines. They advanced an
attack line from each engine to the
west end of the building. These
lines were approximately 800 feet
long. Employees at the warehouse
had been operating a house hose
line on the fire with little success.
The fireboat was forced to tie-up
at the extreme southwest corner
of the wharf since the 425-foot
Norwegian freighter, Max Manus,
which was unloading nitrate, was
taking up most of the dock space.
A 2½ inch line was stretched
from the Atlantic to operate on
the fire. By the time these lines
were in place, the fire had full
control of the western section of
the building. The hose streams
had no effect in halting the spread
of the fire. Second Assistant Chief
H.W. Corbett was overcome by
the smoke and collapsed inside
a section of the warehouse that
would be fully involved just
seconds after he was pulled to
safety by Carolina Power and
Light lineman, Kimball Burriss.
Chief Corbett refused further aid
and returned to his post. At 9:10
a.m., Chief Croom called for two
more companies to respond, and
sounded a general alarm, which
recalled all off-duty firefighters.
He ordered the Max Manus to
pull away from the wharf, which
allowed the Atlantic better access
to the fire.
As the second alarm companies
arrived, additional lines were
stretched to the fire. Even with
these lines in operation, the crews
were continually forced backwards
by the rapidly spreading fire.
The fire walls did not seem to
hold the fire in check, and fire
was spreading both overhead and
under the flooring. Chief Croom
ordered the lines on the south side
of the Nitrate Storage Building
withdrawn and replaced in the
Tobacco section in an attempt to
halt the southward spread of the
flames. The Atlantic was forced
to move because of the intense
heat which ignited the stern of the
fireboat. Damage to the fireboat
was minor and did not hamper
operations.
Shortly after lines were set
up in the Tobacco section, the
stored sodium nitrate began
exploding in a series of minor
blasts. Two hoselines on the south
side of the Terminal Building
had to be abandoned because
of the spreading fire. Walls on
the north side began crumbling
and lines on that side had to be
withdrawn. By this time, the
entire west end of the Tobacco
Section was engulfed in flames
rapidly spreading eastward. The
Atlantic was then moved to the
west end of Warehouse E and
the crew attempted to prevent
that building from catching fire
by directing its monitors for
exposure protection. A portable
master stream was set up on the
east end of the same building for
the same purpose. The pumper
supplying the master stream was
connected to a private hydrant but
the supply was insufficient for the
operation. While this pumper was
disconnected, another pumper
was connected to a city hydrant
about 100 feet away to operate
the master stream. Before this
operation could be completed,
at 10:32 a.m. the first major
explosion occurred, blowing out
a section of the north and south
walls of the warehouse. The
explosion scattered large pieces of
timber, bricks, and hot, molten
sodium nitrate over a wide area.
About 15 men received burns
and injuries in this explosion,
and firefighting operations
were abandoned in this area.
Approximately 10 minutes after
this explosion, as firefighters were
attempting to move apparatus and
equipment further to the south,
Photographs by Hugh Morton, North Carolina Collection, University of N.C. at Chapel Hill.
A view of the fire in it’s early stages from the east. Note the Max Manus in the river away from the wharf.
Summer/Fall 2009
7
a second and worse explosion
rocked the area. This explosion
scattered more debris over the
entire complex, setting fires at least
1,200 feet away. A civilian who
was helping pull hose was severely
burned. He died of his injuries the
following Saturday. One pumper
was on fire and two others were
damaged. All the hoselines in
operation were destroyed. All
apparatus were finally moved to
the vicinity of Warehouse C. The
Atlantic once again was forced to
move because the wharf where it
was tied caught fire.
This last devastating explosion
ignited Warehouses D and E.
They became a raging inferno
almost instantly. Smaller fires
were burning in all of the other
warehouses, sheds in the railroad
yard, railcars, as well as brush
and crossties. “The first sign of
anything out of the ordinary was
the ground trembling, followed by
a low rumbling. Then an atomic-like
cloud of white smoke erupted
from the building, boiling skyward
at least 100 feet, exploding and
scattering molten nitrate of soda,
timbers, etc. Almost instantly after
the white smoke erupted from
the building, a loud explosion
occurred, followed by an intense
white flame that enveloped the
ground area for at least 100 feet
northeastward from the building.
The force of the explosion
knocked persons to the ground
who were standing at least 500 feet
from the building, and the heat
wave which followed seared the
exposed skin of anyone within 250
feet.
The Wilmington Morning
Star described the falling sodium
nitrate as “flaming globs raining
down.” Twenty more firefighters
were either burned or injured
during this explosion, although
most of the injuries were minor.
After this, a call for mutual aid
went out.
With all hoselines out of
action (most of them destroyed),
pumpers relocated, and more than
a third of his firefighters burned
or injured, Chief Croom had a
disheartening situation before
him. A stiff northeasterly wind was
pushing the fire at a steady rate
toward Warehouse C, which was
loaded with fertilizer materials. A
loading slip was all that separated
Warehouses C from D. Chief
Croom ordered the Atlantic into
the slip to protect Warehouse
C. Streams were placed on both
buildings in an attempt to halt the
fire spread. Firefighters brought
new hoselines online, even though
many of the men were injured.
Because they refused to quit, their
strategy worked and the fire spread
halted.
“Without our fireboat it would
have been impossible to halt the
spread of fire as the flames were
well out of reach of land-based
streams and too much credit
cannot be given to the faithful
men who stuck out the hell in that
area,” said Chief Croom.
About this time, two additional
fireboats from the U.S. Navy’s
nearby lay-up basin arrived and
joined in the fight. This combined
effort finally made the fire
manageable around noon. The fire
itself was contained after about
24 hours. A steady rain three days
later helped finally extinguish the
smoldering debris.
Fires Investigated
The investigation into the cause of
the fire began almost immediately.
Along with the Wilmington Fire
Department, investigators from
the Coast Guard and the FBI
conducted the investigations. They
narrowed down the cause to two
possibilities. The first cause was
a spontaneous combustion of the
stored fishmeal. Fishmeal generates
heat because of the oxidation
process. Historically, ships sank
at sea because of fires caused by
spontaneous combustion of the
fishmeal they were transporting.
Today, antioxidants added to
fishmeal prevent such catastrophes.
Investigators thought possibly
the stored piles had smoldered
underneath for quite some time
until the fishmeal vented itself
to the open air. Another possible
cause was electrical failure. On
the morning of the fire, the lights
in the vicinity of the fire were
flickering. An electrician went to
the warehouse and was on scene
when the fire was discovered, but
he had not located the trouble by
the time the fires broke out.
The investigation showed
that one cause of the rapid fire
spread was a delayed call to the
fire department. Employees on
site fought the fire with house
hose streams for approximately
10 minutes prior to calling for
help. Another contributing factor
was the failure of the Nitrate and
Tobacco Storage Warehouse’s
sprinkler systems. Only one water
gong was heard sounding during
the fire, and it was sporadic. A few
sprinkler heads were operating,
but they had no effect on the fire.
One possible problem was the
operation of several of the private
hydrants on site, which may have
left insufficient water to supply the
sprinkler system.
During the fire, the fire
department had four of its six
engine companies operating at
the fire. Mutual aid companies
included pumpers from Carolina
Beach, Wrightsville Beach, Winter
Park VFD, and a trailer pump
from the Coast Guard. Two engine
companies made the 60-mile
journey from Camp Lejuene to
be on standby. More than 100
firefighters were on scene, as well
as personnel from the Coast Guard
Port Security and Cutter Mendota.
News of the fire traveled across the
nation and rumors ran rampant
that the city was in danger of a
disaster similar to the 1948 Texas
City fire.
Chief Croom noted that the
reaction of the sodium nitrate
was unlike anything he had seen
before. The violent explosions did
not compare to previous fires he
had encountered involving the
chemical. During the fire, the
material morphed into a lava-like
substance that poured out of the
building and spread outward up
to 100 feet away, reaching depths
of 6 inches or more. He noted
that the reaction of sodium nitrate
under extreme fire conditions
is unpredictable and “discretion
should become the better part of
valor.”
The Aftermath
Final dollar loss was estimated to
be around $30 million. Almost
7 million gallons of water were
pumped at the fire, with an
additional 2.5 million gallons
from the fireboats. One of the
unexpected consequences of the
fire was a massive swarm of bees
that descended on what was
left of Warehouse D where the
sugar was stored. It was reported
that millions of the insects were
attracted to the tons of syrupy
residue left after the sugar melted.
The damaged warehouses were
never rebuilt. The remaining
warehouses continued in use until
fire struck again in Warehouse B
on Sept. 23, 1995. Warehouses A
and C were eventually demolished
a few years later.
Western view of the fire, which had been burning approximately 30-45 minutes. All of the warehouses to the left would eventually be fully involved.
The Fire & Rescue Journal
8
North Carolina Society of Fire and Rescue Instructors Conference
Honor guards from across North Carolina paid respects
to former Insurance Commissioner Jim Long, who died from
complications of a stroke in February. A memorial was held
Feb. 5, 2009 at Haynes Barton Baptist Church in Raleigh.
The following honor guard units participated.
Burial Service:
Skyland Fire Rescue
Burlington Fire Department
Forsyth County EMS Honor Guard
Rutherford County Firefighters Honor Guard
N. C. Fallen Firefighters Foundation
Chief Jones, Andy Woodall and John Rehnbok
Funeral Memorial Service:
Mar-Mac FD Honor Guard
Rocky Mount Honor Guard
Wake Co. EMS
Fairview Rural Fire Department
Jacksonville Fire Department, Tim O’Toole served as bugler
Wake District Pipes and Drums
A special thank you goes to Battalion Chief Rick Wood and Captain
Chris Sitton from Skyland Fire Rescue, the staff from N.C. Fallen
Firefighters Foundation, and the Raleigh Fire Department for their
assistance in the visitation, memorial and burial ceremonies. If you
or your department would like to start an honor guard or participate
in regional and state wide activities, contact Chief Rick Wood at
rwood@skylandfire.com.
What do you get when you
invite the best fire and rescue
instructors from North Carolina
to the mountains for several days?
The unprecedented opportunity
to learn the most up-to-date
training activities and procedures
coupled with the newest
information about National Fire
Protection Association (NFPA)
standards. Throw in all that plus
countless hours of networking
and fellowship, and you’ve just
described the 2009 North Carolina
Society of Fire and Rescue
Instructors (NCSFRI) Conference,
held May 7-9, at the Crowne Plaza
Resort in Asheville.
The conference began with
the presentation of colors by the
Buncombe County Honor Guard
and opening remarks by Asheville
Fire Department Deputy Chief
Scott Burnette and Assistant State
Fire Marshal Tim Bradley of the
North Carolina Department of
Insurance, Office of State Fire
Marshal.
The conference offered a
wide range of emergency service
seminars including specific
instructional resource tracks in
Fire, Rescue, Hazardous Materials
and Injury Prevention/Risk
Management. Not only did it
focus on instructional resources
and updates, but it also provided
insight on how to take care of
those who are closest to us. The
opening seminar was entitled “Are
You Serving Leftovers? Valuing our
Significant Relationships” delivered
by Parkwood Fire/Rescue/EMS
Chaplin Mark Holland. His
message reminded all attendees
that in the course of our emergency
service duties we must not neglect
those who are closest to us.
More than 100 fire and
rescue instructors attended
the conference. In addition to
the educational seminars, the
conference offered sessions on
mentoring, technical informational
exchange and an assortment of
other enjoyable activities. And
don’t forget about the networking
– networking offers emergency
services instructors the opportunity
to exchange lessons learned from
other experienced professional
instructors from all areas of the
state. These lessons can then be
brought back to the local level and
disseminated to fire and rescue
students.
Be sure to mark your calendars
for next year’s instructors
conference in Asheville, May 6-8.
Members of the North Carolina Society of Fire and Rescue Instructors who attended the Business Session of the 2009 NC Instructors Conference.
Summer/Fall 2009
9
By now most are familiar with the
new instructor policies recently
approved by the North Carolina
Fire and Rescue Commission
(NCFRC). One of the changes
made by the NCFRC that has
generated much discussion, centers
around the increase in the number
of years required as a qualified
Fire Fighter I and II instructor to
attend the Live Fire Qualification
course. Before July 1 of this year,
an individual only needed to
be a general instructor for two
years, requiring little or no actual
firefighting experience to attend
this qualification course.
While some who have been
impacted by this change may
view it negatively in regards to
their individual development, rest
assured that the provision actually
does the opposite. Experience
is the greatest of all teachers.
Therefore, thorough and intense
apprenticing under knowledgeable
and safety-conscious mentors is
vital to the health not only of
our personnel, but also to this
important form of training.
Too often in the past, young
instructors have attended the
Live Fire Qualification course
immediately after reaching their
two-year mark. Although these
individuals’ determination and
desire to teach and to learn is
great, they often lack the necessary
experience. As the saying goes,
“We start with a lot of luck and no
experience, the goal being to gain
a lot of experience before we run
out of luck.”
This brings us to the next point
of discussion when attempting to
improve live fire training across
the state. The number of students
attending Live Fire Qualification
courses that have been taught
the wrong methods and old ways
of conducting training burns is
disconcerting to say the least. All
too often, students will watch
the portions of the qualification
class concerning pre-application
of class ‘B’ fuels with a “dear-in-
the-headlights” look. Many
confess that they have never
used these practices during their
apprenticeships, often admitting
that their mentors showed them
only the old methods of “slinging
buckets.”
Another weakness often
exhibited by students is a lack
of understanding about how to
properly complete the paperwork
and permits required for live fire
training in their respective locales.
While this is just as important as
the actual burn itself, a disparaging
number of apprentices are never
exposed to this academic aspect,
showing up only on burn day to
help build fires and lead crews.
It is important to note that
these examples are not necessarily
an inclusive failure on the student’s
part, but rather the fault of the
trusted mentor that claimed the
student is ready to be qualified.
All qualified live fire instructors
have been operating under the
NCFRC pre-application policy
since 2005. Everyone that was
a live fire qualified instructor
before 2006 had to sit through
an eight-hour requalification
class concerning this significant
modification. It would, therefore,
be fair to say these changes are
no longer new or unknown, so
why do the same issues continue
to arise? Unfortunately, the fire
service is renowned for its inability
to overcome old standards.
Furthermore and unfortunately,
OSFM has increasingly discerned
failures by both delivery agencies
and qualified instructors to
operate within the NCFRC
qualification guidelines for
conducting live fire training. Two
major areas of concern are the
reporting of upcoming burns for
the purpose of random audits as
well as prompt and accurate injury
reporting by those responsible.
To combat failure to report
upcoming training burns within
the necessary timeframe – at
least 15 days before the burn –
a collaborative effort has been
initiated with the state’s Health
Hazards Control Unit (HHCU).
The HHCU regularly forwards
a current list of agencies that
have applied for and received
demo permits for their training
burns. This list is then correlated
and contrasted against OSFM’s
existing audit directory. This
additional source of data has been
utilized because of recent training
events that were not reported for
the purpose of random audits.
The other area of concern is
the accurate reporting of injuries
that occur during training. It is
essential to understand that this
includes all aspects of training, not
only live fire. The primary purpose
of gathering this information is
not to be punitive, but rather to
collect data to track trends and
factors that negatively impact
the safety of our personnel. It
is important to note, however,
that failure to accurately and
promptly report injuries, and/or
blatant disregard of safe practices
by instructors during training,
potentially places both the
instructor and the delivery agency
in a precarious and unenviable
situation.
With that in mind, one of
the recent NCFRC changes
with the potential to have the
biggest impact has been the
implementation of tangible
consequences for live fire
instructors that fail to follow the
practices and policies incumbent
on them. These range from a
written letter of caution, up
to and including revocation of
an individual’s qualification,
depending on the severity and/or
frequency of the offense.
While no one wishes to see
such measures put into place,
persistence by a few individuals to
constantly push the limits of safe
practices and required compliance,
makes this necessary. Imagine the
absolute chaos our state’s roadways
would witness without enforceable
speed limits. How fast would
some characters drive without
those known legal boundaries and
accepted subsequent penalties?
More importantly, how horrific
would the outcome be when
an accident occurred? North
Carolina’s instructors, and live fire
training in its entirety, can not
afford to pay that price.
Kevin McArthur is a training
specialist with OSFM.
Truth & Consequences: Holding Live Fire Instructors Accountable
Congratulations to the Autryville Fire
Department! The department received a
$967,422 grant from FEMA, which will fund the
purchase of 800 MHz radios for every Sampson
County Fire/Rescue and EMS unit. Pictured left
to right are: Chief Jakie Faircloth; Autryville
Fire Department; Station Captain Lee Sudia,
Autryville Fire Department; U.S. Representative
Mike McIntyre; Pittman Horne, Board President
of the Autryville Fire Department; and Town of
Autryville Mayor Pat Williams.
The Fire & Rescue Journal
10
...continued from page 4.
inside the fire room at the time.
The two safety officers tasked
with preventing the search
team from re-entering the fire
room were positioned along a
narrow hallway that led to the
former garage. Since this had not
originally been designed as a main
entrance or high occupancy area
of the residence, the hallway was
unusually small, measuring only
some 20 inches wide. The search
crew planned to make a quick
sweep of the fire room while the
fire was still in its initial phase,
then search the rest of the house
as the fire continued to progress.
A few moments after the two-man
team completed their search of
the renovated garage, one of the
safety officers yelled to ask if the
crew was out of the fire room, and
somewhere the response from an
unknown individual came back
indicating that yes, they were out.
The fire was raging only feet
away, emitting the organic sounds
that those in our profession know
all too well, the crackling and
roaring clatter that we actually
seek out in an effort to extinguish
the seat of the fire. Take a second
to imagine the intense heat and
the deteriorating conditions in
that small space, and the efforts
someone one might take to shield
their body from the firestorm
bearing down on them while
trying to be a gatekeeper to this
terrible fire.
Can you envision those officers,
pressed up against the wall in an
attempt to shelter themselves from
the inferno? Perhaps stretching
one leg across the small hallway
until the high heat forces them
to switch to their other leg all to
stop anyone attempting to pass by?
Could someone get past you in
that small 20 inches of blackness,
with the typical noises of crews
operating behind you and the fire
growling in front of you? I will not
presume to say that they would
never get by me. After all, we are
all human.
No one knows if the search
crew actually left the fire room
and inadvertently returned as the
conditions deteriorated, or if the
crew ever made it out of the room
at all. The only two individuals
that know the answer to that
haunting question died in the fire.
Regardless, in all the confusion,
the two safety officers thought
that the search team had moved to
another part of the structure, clear
of the fire room. Again, how many
of us can say that they have been
able to account 100 percent for
their people 100 percent of the
time during training or an actual
incident?
The fire raged on as the
interior attack team attempted
to keep it in check. Still, no one
realized that two firefighters
were trapped in the inferno
desperately seeking an escape.
As the incident commander
realized that conditions were
beginning to deteriorate, he
began to call for PARs from
his crew. Numerous radio
calls went out for the search
and rescue crew over the
next several minutes with no
response. The second fire
attack team was sent into
the house, but found
that they were unable
to advance because of
the large number of
firefighters already inside
the living room. Despite
the fact that there was
a RIT in the front yard,
no action was taken to
locate the unaccounted
for search team. Once
again, we have the luxury
of time and review when
scrutinizing the events of
the day.
Let’s place ourselves
in the IC’s shoes for a
brief moment. How
complacent are we as
a profession with our
radio communications? If
someone doesn’t answer
repeated calls, do we ask
why? Excuses like, “Oh, he
is just working and can’t hear
the radio,” or “She might have her
radio turned down or dropped it,”
are heard far too frequently.
An unanswered radio call on
the fire ground should be met
with the same response that a
downed firefighter would warrant.
Until there is verification that the
firefighter is safe, it is a rescue
operation, plain and simple. The
same may be said for integrated
PASS alarms in our business. Some
of our greatest safety innovations
have been degraded and discarded
because of the ratio of false alarms
to actual emergencies. In the case
of the Poinciana fatalities, over six
minutes passed between the first
attempt to contact the search crew
and the RIT was finally activated.
In the chaos that followed, as
crews were accounted for and the
fire was fought, someone spotted
a helmet in the window on the ‘A’
side of the renovated garage. This
was quickly dismissed as belonging
to the mannequin used for the
exercise, the same mannequin that
had been placed on the opposite
side of the house only moments
earlier. The helmet actually
belonged to Firefighter Dallas
Begg, who had finally collapsed
next to the window. On making
their way into the fire room, the
second fire attack team noticed a
form in bunker gear which they
also initially dismissed as being
the mannequin. This ended up
being the body of Lieutenant
John Mickel, who was eventually
removed through the ‘A/D’
window by the second fire attack
team.
As this disaster is being used as
a case study from which to learn,
and not to judge or second guess
those involved, it is important to
note the immediate activation of
all available resources in this case
would not have altered the tragic
outcome. By the time conditions
appeared beyond the scope of the
intended training, Mickel and
Bergg were gone.
Many were surprised when the
2007 edition of the NFPA 1403
standard did not include a new
provision that instructors shall not
dress mannequins as firefighters
because of the confusion in
Osceola County on that July day.
Regardless, this tragedy and the
next one we will visit in 2003
Miami-Dade have changed the
way the state of Florida conducts
live fire training. Today, the
NFPA 1403 document has been
incorporated into Florida statute,
making the 1403 standard law in
Florida. Anything outside of the
black and white wording in that
document is criminal, simple as
that.
An individual that was involved
with the Poinciana burn perhaps
summed it up best when asked
about the tragic events that
transpired on that hot July day.
He simply stated, “we had our
bases covered, we just ran them
backwards when it really counted.”
Kevin McArthur coordinates the
Live Fire Qualification Program for
OSFM. He can be reached at
Kevin.Mcarthur@ncdoi.gov.
Flashover occurs as the ventilation officer removes the window on the ‘A/D’ corner of the house.
Summer/Fall 2009
11
Are Mistakes Costing You Points During Inspection?
What is a common mistake made during inspections that
cause points loss?
One of the biggest mistakes seen by the ratings inspectors
during surveys is that fire departments don’t respond with
the correct apparatus on structure calls. For maximum
credit, inspectors are looking for the department to respond
with two engines and a service/ladder truck on all structure calls. Let’s
take a look at how not responding with the correct apparatus affects
your grade.
If the department does not run enough engines or ladders on first
alarms, there will be a credit loss – the department will receive zero
points. Even a crew of one, whether paid, paid on call or volunteer,
will buy full unit credit. Many towns and cities have found this out the
hard way. The worst possible situation is to not run a staffed vehicle.
This has happened a number of times and no credit was given for the
half-million dollar units. All communities will need at least two engines
and a ladder or service company to respond for full credit. Why make
the investment on this apparatus and then not respond with them on
structure calls? You can receive credit of up to 15 points for responding
with the correct compliment of apparatus. When staff looks at how a
department responds with its apparatus and the response shows where
the apparatus did not respond, they deduct points. For example, if your
department currently has two engines and only responds one engine to
75 percent of the calls, then you will lose points. Your department will
also lose points by not responding with your service/ladder company.
How can the program give you credit for equipment on your apparatus
if you don’t respond with it to the scene? The answer is simple – it can’t!
Departments have invested money in equipment and then lost points
because the apparatus carrying the equipment didn’t leave the station.
Inspection Tips
Q:
A:
Those who reside outside the
Central Piedmont region of North
Carolina may not be aware that it
holds one of the most abundant
and exceptional collections of
firefighting memorabilia offered
anywhere. It is here, resting on
the line separating Guilford and
Randolph counties, you will find
an unassuming building just
down the hill from a well-kept
country home. It is the home of
Chief Donald Whitaker, a well-known
leader in the fire service.
Whitaker’s passion for firefighting
began in 1941 when his father, a
state trooper, temporarily roomed
at a Goldsboro fire station before
relocating his family to his new
assignment. Whitaker’s family
returned often to visit the fire
house, and the fellowship displayed
by the firefighters remained with
him, sparking a passion for the fire
service equaled by few.
It comes as no surprise that after
50 years of adventures and travels,
Whitaker and his wife Ethel
found themselves with boxes and
boxes of wonderful souvenirs and
mementos. These keepsakes filled
every corner and shelf of their
quaint home. Finally, in 2002,
with his wife’s encouragement –
or perhaps insistence – Whitaker
built a 2,400 square foot structure
only steps from his home to
display and share his wonderful
collection with those who also love
the fire service. This special place
became known as Donald’s Fire
Haven Museum.
It took nearly two years just
to unpack all of the boxes and
organize the decades of memories
and memorabilia. The result was
a well-organized and accessible
collection, rich in both variety
and substance. Ever wonder what
a Russian firefighter’s airpack
looks like? Or how an early 20th
century ticker-tape alarm box
works? Just stop by and let Chief
Donald give you a personal tour
that you won’t soon forget.
Recently, Donald began a Web
site for his beloved museum. For
more information concerning
Donald’s Fire Haven Museum
including directions, contact
information and operating hours,
visit www.firehavenmuseum.com.
It is important to note that
admission to the museum is free;
however any and all donations
go to support the Muscular
Dystrophy Association. Enjoy
your trip back in time!
Donald’s Fire Haven Museum: A Nostalgic Look Back
(Above) Donald’s Fire Haven Museum combines a
comprehensive and detailed collection of fire service
memorabilia with home-spun hospitality.
(Left) Located on Branson Mill Road at the Guilford/
Randolph county line, Donald’s Fire Haven Museum rests
among the farmers’ fields and woods of the Piedmont.
1202 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1202
(919) 661-5880
www.ncdoi.com/osfm
The Fire & Rescue Journal
(Right) Matt Martin,
1st Lt.-Pilot Mountain Rescue and EMS,
is suspended by rescue rigging while
trying to free “Rescue Randy” a simulated
deer hunter with a medical emergency in
a deer stand. Captain Steven Ward North
Mecklenburg Rescue assists from the ground.
(Right) Derrick Manuel, Captain-Pilot Mountain Rescue
and EMS, prepares to rappel down the mountain side
during the Graduate Mountain
Rescue Exercise.
(Right) Morehead City Lt. Billy Beck
(rear) with Beaufort F.D. Engineer Brian
Beck (front) ascending from below
deck during a simulated ship fire.
(Above) Instructors involved in the delivery of the Shipboard pilot program (pictured left to right) Capt. Jamie
Hunnings, Morehead City Fire/EMS; Lt. Eric Stephenson, Atlantic Beach F.D.; Deputy Chief Jason Baker, Pine
Knoll Shores F.D.; Assistant Chief Craig Forlines, Morehead City Fire/EMS; Lt. Steve Marsh, Morehead City
Fire/EMS; FF/Paramedic Nick Salter, Cherry Point Fire/Rescue; Capt. Jack Manley, Morehead City Fire/EMS.
Shipboard Firefighting for Land Based
Firefighters Pilot held at Morehead City
Fire/EMS Department in June.
Graduate Mountain Rescue School

JOURNAL
Fire & Rescue
A publication of the North Carolina Department of Insurance Office of State Fire Marshal Summer/Fall 2009
What’s Hot Inside
Important Information about Grants and Relief Fund............2-3....................... National Firefighter Combat Challenge 2009
Looking Back:......................................................................6-7.................... Wilmington Terminal and Warehouse Company
Fire and Rescue Instructor Conference.................................8-9............................ Holding Live Fire Instructors Accountable
Inspection Tips.................................................................... 11................................................................ New Fire Museum
The 2009 North Carolina Fallen Firefighters
Memorial Service Honors Heroism and Sacrifice
The North Carolina Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NCFFF) held the 2009 Fallen
Firefighters Memorial Service on Saturday May 2, 2009 at the North Carolina Fallen
Firefighter’s Memorial campus in downtown Raleigh. Hundreds of firefighters and
families from across the state paid tribute to 11 firefighters who lost their lives in the line of
duty in 2008.
The event started with a “Parade of Heroes.” Fire department apparatus from each of
the newly honored firefighters’ departments, along with past fallen firefighter departments
participated. The memorial service opened with remarks from NCFFF President, Rocky
Mount Fire Department Division Chief Walter E. Jones. North Carolina Governor Beverly
Purdue then addressed the families and North Carolina Insurance Commissioner and State
Fire Marshal Wayne Goodwin read the name of each firefighter lost in the line-of-duty
during the “last call” ceremony.
Peg O’Connell, wife of late Insurance Commissioner and State Fire Marshal Jim Long,
also addressed all in attendance by thanking firefighter families for their sacrifice in allowing
their loved ones to serve others. In addition, Mrs. O’Connell stressed the importance
of firefighter health and wellness, and urged all firefighters and their families to take
care of themselves by exercising, eating a proper diet, and performing routine medical
examinations.
This year the NCFFF has made footage from the 4th Annual North Carolina Fallen
Firefighters Memorial Service available for download through their Web site. If you would
like to view the memorial service, visit www.eventbywire.com/viewevent/?id=915-897.
In 2008, 114 firefighters died in the line-of-duty across the nation. Out of 114 line-of-duty
deaths, North Carolina led the nation for the year with 11 deaths. As of May 20, 39
firefighters from across the nation made the ultimate sacrifice with two line-of-duty deaths
in North Carolina.
(Above-Top) Peg O’Connell addresses the families and firefighters
at the memorial service. (Above-Middle) The Atlantic Beach Fire
Department Pipe and Drums perform “Amazing Grace.” (Above-
Bottom) Pictured Left to Right - Peg O’Connell, Commissioner Wayne
Goodwin, NCFFF Chaplain Dr. Mark Holland, NCFFF Director Ranger
Robert Smith, NCFFF President Division Chief Walter E. Jones and
NCFFF Director Doug Cline stand at attention as the families of the
fallen firefighters enter.
The following NC firefighters were honored and added
to the memorial this year:
William T. Barnes, October 9, 1924, Hope/Greenville
Paul L. Ellington, January 1, 2008, Oregon Hill
Herman S. Jones, January 22, 2008, Raleigh
James E. Arthur, February 11, 2008, Cold Water
Victor A. Isler, March 7, 2008, Salisbury
Justin E. Monroe, March 7, 2008, Salisbury
Walter W. Michl, March 16, 2008, Roanoke-Wildwood
Rufus E. Brinson, Jr., June 6, 2008, Reelsboro
Colin G. Thomas, June 14, 2008, Verona
George F. Crocker, June 22, 2008, Pine Level
Curtis L. Jessen, August 21, 2008, NC Forestry Service
Carol I. Taylor, November 14, 2008, Goldsboro
The Fire & Rescue Journal
2
As I write this we’re already
in the thick of preparing
for Fire Prevention Week
2009. I remember it was one of
Commissioner Long’s favorite
programs here at the Department
of Insurance and it’s fast becoming
one of my favorites as well. Fire
Prevention Week starts on Oct. 4
this year. As a member of the fire
and rescue community, you are a
hero to those around you. Please
take this opportunity to talk to
the members of your community,
especially the youngest members,
about fire safety. It’s truly one of
the most important jobs you do.
Nationally, more than 100,000
children are hurt in fires each year.
Let’s beat those statistics in North
Carolina.
In the past, we’ve sent our Fire
Prevention Week materials to
schools. But you requested them
for your school programs and open
houses, so this year we’re sending
the children’s materials directly to
you. They’re free, but you must
order them online. If you haven’t
already done so, please go to our
Fire Prevention Web site, www.
ncsafekids.org/fireprevention.
We’re only taking orders online,
and these are available to each fire
department on a first-come, first-serve
basis. There are pads of three
different activity sheets for three
different age groups. You can view
the sheets at the Fire Prevention
site under “Fire Prevention
Materials.” I hope this is a way
that we can help you do your jobs
even better.
I hope that you will take
advantage of these free materials
available to your fire department.
I also encourage you to make
arrangements to visit your local
elementary school or hold an
open house during Fire Prevention
Week. North Carolina’s fire and
rescue service has some of the best
workers in the entire country, and
I know that we can work together
to prevent fire-related injuries and
deaths in our state.
Thanks for your continued
dedication to protecting your
communities!
Free Fire Prevention Week Materials Now
Available to You
Wayne Goodwin, Insurance Commissioner & State Fire Marshal
Mark Edwards, Assistant Commissioner
Tim Bradley, Assistant State Fire Marshal
Executive Editor
Kristin Milam, Director of Public Information
Managing Editor
Chris Best, Supervisor, Research and Program Development
Associate Editor
Johanna Royo, Assistant Director of Public Information
Graphic Designer
Trisha Tripp
Editorial Assistant
Karen Holder
The Fire & Rescue Journal is a quarterly publication of the
N.C. Department of Insurance Office of State Fire Marshal
1202 Mail Service Center • Raleigh, NC 27699
Questions, comments or story ideas should be directed to
Chris Best at 919-661-5880 x332 or chris.best@ncdoi.gov.
To sign up for the mailing list or to submit an address change, contact
Trisha Tripp at 919-733-5238 or trisha.tripp@ncdoi.gov.
2,300 copies of the Journal, which is funded through a grant from the North
Carolina Association of Insurance Agents, were printed at a cost of $2,074.
by Insurance Commissioner and State Fire Marshal Wayne Goodwin
JOURNAL
Fire & Rescue
From the Commissioner’s Desk
Volunteer Fire Department Fund —
Recipients of the 2009 Volunteer
Fire Department Fund dollar-for-
dollar matching grants were
announced on May 15, and the
recipients are posted on our Web
site, www.ncdoi.com/osfm.
Invoices for approved equipment
must be postmarked to our
office no later than Sept. 30. We
recommend submitting invoices
via certified mail. Original invoices
must be mailed for the matching
funds to be released from our
office. The invoice should have
an order date, ship date and the
organization’s legal (charter) name.
Failure to comply will result in a
delay in receiving the matching
funds.
Volunteer Rescue/EMS Fund — In
early August, the 2009 Volunteer
Rescue/EMS Fund dollar-for-dollar
matching grant applications
will be mailed to all known rescue
and EMS providers. The grant
matches up to $25,000 toward
purchasing equipment and
making capital improvements.
Applications are due back to
OSFM postmarked no later than
Oct.1. We recommend submitting
applications via certified mail.
Firefighters’ Relief Fund — In mid-
August, OSFM mailed the 2009
Report of Fire Condition forms to
the City or County Clerk/Finance
Office for each fire district(s)
served by a rated fire department.
The Report of Fire Condition
must be postmarked to our
office every year by Oct. 31. We
recommend that the City/County
Clerk/Finance Officer to submit
the Report of Fire Condition via
certified mail.
Important Information from the Volunteer Fire and Rescue Grant Programs
and the Firefighter Relief Fund
Summer/Fall 2009
3
Monroe Hosts National Firefighter Combat Challenge
Hundreds braved record heat
in Monroe on May 16
to watch more than 250
competitors battle through what
is known as the “toughest two
minutes in sports.” The National
Firefighter Combat Challenge
stopped in Monroe during its 25
city tour where firefighters from
as far away as Quebec, Canada
competed against the clock.
Firefighters compete in a five-event
course. First, a five-story
climb while carrying a 45-pound
hose bundle then, the hose hoist
where they pull a bundle of
hose up the five stories that they
just climbed. Firefighters then
continue down the stairs, where
they are required to touch every
step, to the Keiser machine where
they are required to “beat the
block” and lay the hammer down
in a specified area. Next up is
the hose drag where firefighters
extend a 100 foot charged 1 ¾
line through a door and flow at a
marked target. Finally, firefighters
face the dreaded victim rescue
portion where they must drag a
175 lb. Rescue Randy mannequin
backwards for 100 feet. The course
unquestionably tests the abilities
and agility of every participant.
It was close as firefighters
raced to the finish line. Brandon
Cunningham of Fort Gordon,
Ga., finished in first place with
a time of 1:23.18. Bruce Fields,
Greensboro Fire Department, took
the second spot with a time of
1:39.13. The third place winner
in the individual competition was
David Bowman of the Charlotte
Fire Department, who finished
with a time of 1:42.48. The top
two competitors in the “Over 40”
category were David Bowman
and Byron McDonald, from the
Owensboro Fire Department.
Duane Cheek from the Winston
Salem Fire Department wrapped
up the individual races as the
“Over 50” winner.
While the competitors race
for trophies and prizes, the main
focus is on firefighter fitness. As
Brandon Cunningham put it,
“Thirteen firefighters have already
died this year from heart-related
illnesses. Firefighter fitness must
remain at the forefront if we are
going to reduce these line-of-duty
deaths.”
(Above) Members from the Winston Salem Fire Department go head-to-head.
(Below) Nathan Calendar from Paris Island races for the finish line.
Firefighter Fatalities in North Carolina article clarification — Traumatic injury has now been determined as Michael Browne’s
cause of death. Browne was a member of Acme-Delco-Riegelwood Fire and Rescue. His cause of death was unknown when the last issue of the
Fire & Rescue Journal went to print.
What makes an emergency
services department effective
in its operations? If we were
to make a list, we might come
up with some of the following:
personnel, budget, equipment,
communications, leadership
and management and plenty of
resources. However, what makes
all of these things effective? The
answer is training! Training helps
managers get the most out of
their personnel, this in turn helps
achieve the department’s goals.
By training our personnel we can
also teach the enthusiasm to learn.
After we understand why we train,
we need to know how to train and
keep that enthusiasm going.
In an effort to help training
efforts, OSFM has created a
section on the Web site called
“Pocket Tools Training.” This
section has been live for several
months, and it offers a variety of
training opportunities including
downloadable video segments
and photos of basic and advanced
skills, PowerPoint programs,
and advanced programs such
as the IAFC’s Ethanol course.
Pocket Tools training also offers
your department accessible
and straightforward training
opportunities in the form of
Quick Drills. The focal point of
the quick drills section is to get
back to the basics. These drills
are put together, not to take away
from daily or weekly training
sessions, but to re-center attention
to the fundamental practices that
allow responders to safely return
home from a call.
To visit the Pocket Tools
Training, visit www.ncdoi.com/
osfm and click on the pocket tools
logo.
Online Pocket Tools Training Offers Quick, Free Training Solutions
The Fire & Rescue Journal
4
Reviewing the live fire
incident articles that have
been published in past
journals has provided the luxury of
hindsight to allow the opportunity
to dissect what went wrong during
these training evolutions. These
incidents have also fashioned
the road map for the NFPA
1403 standard to help prevent
such incidents from recurring.
The following observations are
not meant to assign blame to
those involved so much as they
are intended to serve as all–too-hard
learned lessons of live fire
training that turned tragic. While
the cost of these life lessons is
truly unacceptable, the best way
to honor the memory of those
lost is by preventing others from
suffering similar fates.
The precedents established
after our last tragedy revisited
in 2001 Lairdsville, New York
have concerned and upset the
fire service unlike few events
in its history. In the wake of
the heartbreaking loss of a
young firefighter during RIT
training, the assistant chief of
the department was ultimately
criminally prosecuted and
convicted. As much as Lairdsville
may concern officers and
instructors across the country for
setting this precedent, the next
sojourn to Ocseola County, Fla.
should alarm us to an even higher
degree. For it was here that we lost
two experienced firefighters during
live fire training while doing
almost everything right.
Ocseola County surrounds
the large city of Orlando in the
mid-section of Florida. The city
and county departments work
often and well together. So it was
not out of the norm when on July
30, 2002, the two departments
came together to conduct a
training burn at a small house in
the Poinciana community. One
of the objectives for the exercise
was search and rescue drills, with
two-man crews searching for a
mannequin dressed as a firefighter.
The mannequin would be placed
in the kitchen on the ‘C’ side of
the structure for the firefighters to
locate and remove.
The 1,600 square foot, three-bedroom,
two-bath block house
had been renovated through the
years. A former garage on the ‘D’
side of the structure was converted
to living space. It was here
firefighters lit a fire to produce
smoke and heat for the search
crew to battle. Extraordinary
efforts were taken to protect
these searching firefighters. This
included two fire attack teams
standing by, one of which was
located inside the house during
the exercise, as well as four safety
officers assigned to the interior
of the structure. Two of these
four individuals were specifically
tasked with making sure that the
searching crew cleared the fire
room and did not inadvertantly
venture back that way. In addition
to these resources, a RIT was
established in front of the house
and an additional hose line was
placed near the front door.
In what many claim to be the
only true deviance to the 1403
standard on this day, a mattress
was added at the last minute to
the pallets and straw on the fire
set. This was done only because
the pallets were wet from several
hours of heavy rainfall the night
before and the instructors were
concerned that they would not
burn in their saturated condition.
It was later determined that this
variation alone did not cause the
death of the two firefighters, but
that too much fuel was used given
the size of the room, and that the
two fires were set near the only
doorway into and out of the fire
room. Lack of a written burn plan
during the training also stood out
as an oversight in the aftermath of
the day’s events.
The fire was lit and the exercise
began. Almost immediately, and
as expected, conditions in the fire
room became intense, with heavy
black fire filling the room. It is
important to note that this fire
was intended to serve only as a
prop to give the search crew heat
and smoke throughout the house,
so the size of the fire at this point
was of little concern. A firefighter
outside the structure, tasked with
ventilation duties, removed the
window on the A/D side of the
converted garage in an attempt
to alleviate some of the rapidly
worsening conditions. This gave
the fire the much needed air it was
seeking, and a flashover occurred
almost immediately in the room of
origin. Firefighters located inside
the center part of the house later
expressed surprise, not realizing
the room had flashed over so
quickly. No one knew that the two
firefighters from the search and
rescue team, Lt. John Mickel and
Firefighter Dallas Begg, were
continued on page 10...
Live Fire Training Revisited:
Ocseola County, Fla.; 2002
The narrow hallway leading from the living area to the fire room only measured 20 inches wide with two
awkward turns.
A view of the fire room shows the location of the fire sets as well as the only door leading into and out of the renovated garage. This picture is taken from the front or
‘A’ side of the structure, near the A/D window.
Summer/Fall 2009
5
Assistant State Fire Marshal Bradley presents Commissioner Goodwin with his State Fire Marshal helmet.
2009 Calendar of Events
Oct. 15 – 25, 2009
NC State Fair
Safe Kids NC and DOI Booth
Kerr Scott Building
Oct. 4 – 10, 2009
Fire Prevention Week
September 2009
Campus Fire Safety Month
Sept. 20 – 26, 2009
Child Passenger Safety Week
As I write this article I’m
sitting in a motel room in
Washington, DC, while
attending the Congressional Fire
Services Institute. No matter
how many times I come to
Washington, I still marvel at the
sheer grandeur of such a collection
of monuments. I usually take
time to stroll by as many as I can,
yet due to busy schedules, can
rarely take the time to study each
carefully.
The monument to World
War II veterans is one of my
favorites, placed squarely between
the Lincoln Memorial and the
Washington Monument in the
basin. I had two uncles wounded
on D-Day, one of whom just
passed away a few weeks ago.
Looking at the memorial this
year had special significance. The
Vietnam Memorial also has special
meaning since it was a war of my
generation. It is one of the most
visited monuments in Washington
today.
Thomas Jefferson, probably
one of the wisest men of modern
times, is also honored by a
memorial, as are many others. I
visited the Korean War monument
for the first time this year and
was awed by the visual strain on
the faces of the soldier statues
walking toward an American Flag.
My father-in-law served there,
and it was easy to reflect upon
how difficult service is when you
sacrifice so much of yourself, while
never really seeing the thanks
of millions who recognize your
contribution. Our country should
fund a trip for every veteran who
served, so that they could come
and see the memorial that stands
in their honor, whichever one it
may be. Sometimes our country
seems gracious in its compliments
to service, yet on a personal level,
you wonder how many ever get
thanked individually. For those of
you who served our country, I’d
like to say thank you. I can’t speak
individually to each of you, but
if I could, I’d tell you about your
memorial, and what it meant to
me when I saw it.
Another thing that strikes
you when you see the memorials
here is how much our country
has changed. In many cases we
have benefited from conflicts,
yet in others we are so slow to
learn. At the Lincoln Monument,
when it was dedicated in the
1920s, black dignitaries were
seated separate from the white
dignitaries. That was close to
60 years after the Civil War, yet
you turn and look over your left
shoulder at the Memorial Bridge
that carries over to Arlington,
and you’re told that it was built
to symbolize the reconnection
or reunification of our country
after the War Between the
States. Today we don’t segregate,
thankfully, but how long after a
war did it take for us to recognize
what “created equal” means.
Even though the inscriptions at
the Jefferson Memorial carry his
words of equality, it’s taken until
our generation to see those fruits
finally evolve. We can only be
thankful that we aren’t always that
slow to learn.
One of the discussions
occurring in the meetings I
attended during the week here
involved the continued push
toward residential sprinklers.
Before you yawn and say “there he
goes again,” give it some thought.
Even proponents of them, such
as myself, recognize and agree
that problems exist in their
implementation, yet how many
lives will be lost before all of us
come to realize that in our modern
age, losing a child in a house fire
doesn’t have to happen. And that
it is incumbent on all of us to
figure out how to make it work.
As I’ve told advocates, find
a way to make them profitable
for the masses, and society will
figure a way to make them work.
We can fix those problems that
stand in the way, but before we
can, there must be a change in
our community’s way of thinking.
Looking at the memorials
reminded me of that. Jefferson
never saw his memorial, nor did
Lincoln, yet thousands see it every
day who never met either man.
Years from now children will walk
away from a house fire in some
unknown community of our
state and a fire chief will casually
remark that the sprinklers did
their job. We may not see it, they
won’t know us, but the life of the
child will be a memorial to all who
worked to finally get the job done.
You wouldn’t think of buying a
car without seatbelts, yet three
decades ago mandatory use was a
hot debate. How many lives have
those saved? We can do this for
our society, not only because we
must, but because that is the kind
of country we are.
Senator Robert F. Kennedy
said in 1966, that “Few will have
the greatness to bend history
itself; but each of us can work to
change a small portion of events,
and in the total of all those acts,
will be written the history of this
generation.” Being recognized for
valor, for working in a career that
protects the public means a lot to
each of us, but wouldn’t it be great
during your retirement to read
that quote in the news from a local
fire chief that said the person lived
because the sprinklers did their
job? We can sit back and smile
and realize one of the things that
defined our generation was the
hundreds of lives that will be saved
by residential sprinklers. We can
make that happen, each of us, one
step at a time.
Memorial Reflections
by Assistant State Fire Marshal Tim Bradley
Looking Forward...
For those of you who served our
country, I’d like to say thank you. I
can’t speak individually to each of
you, but if I could, I’d tell you about
your memorial, and what it meant to
me when I saw it.
The Fire & Rescue Journal
6
Looking Back:
Wilmington Terminal and Warehouse Company
On March 9, 1953,
the Wilmington Fire
Department faced one
of its largest and costliest fires in
city history. The fire, located in a
warehouse complex on the Cape
Fear River, pushed the department
to its limits and then some. It
seemed for a time that the city’s
waterfront would be completely
wiped out.
Multiple Buildings Involved
The fire occurred at the
Wilmington Terminal and
Warehouse Company, part
of a large complex of seven
warehouses. The warehouses
were perpendicular to the river,
with slips between some of
the buildings. Rail access was
alongside each building. All of
the buildings were heavy timber
construction with a brick exterior,
but each had different contents
and protections in place. The
Wilmington Terminal Nitrate
Warehouse was equipped with a
sprinkler system and contained
25,000 tons of sodium nitrate
and 200 tons of fishmeal. The
Wilmington Terminal Tobacco
Storage Warehouse was a one-and
two-story building with
brick firewalls, as well as metal
siding in some areas. It also
was equipped with a sprinkler
system and contained 5 million
pounds of tobacco, 1,000 rolls of
roofing, 275,000 100 lb. paper
bags and 10 barrels of lubricating
oil. Seaboard Air Line Railroad
Warehouse E was under repair
and had no contents. Seaboard
Air Line Railroad Warehouse
D contained 45,000 100lb.
bags of sugar. Seaboard Air
Line Railroad Warehouses A,
B, and C had various contents.
Warehouse A contained grocery
supplies, Warehouses B and C
had fertilizer materials, including
calcium ammonium nitrate and
ammonium sulphate. Most of the
warehouses were constructed in
1901 and were around 50,000 to
80,000 square feet in size.
The Alarm Goes Out
At 8:55 that Monday morning,
an alarm was transmitted to the
Wilmington Fire Department
for a fire at the Wilmington
Terminal Nitrate Warehouse.
The initial response to the fire
included Chief J.L. Croom, First
Assistant Chief J.A. West, Engine
Companies 1 and 3, and the
fireboat Atlantic III. En route to
the fire, heavy smoke was noticed
by the responding companies. On
arrival, both engines laid in from
the closest hydrant using 2½ inch
supply lines. They advanced an
attack line from each engine to the
west end of the building. These
lines were approximately 800 feet
long. Employees at the warehouse
had been operating a house hose
line on the fire with little success.
The fireboat was forced to tie-up
at the extreme southwest corner
of the wharf since the 425-foot
Norwegian freighter, Max Manus,
which was unloading nitrate, was
taking up most of the dock space.
A 2½ inch line was stretched
from the Atlantic to operate on
the fire. By the time these lines
were in place, the fire had full
control of the western section of
the building. The hose streams
had no effect in halting the spread
of the fire. Second Assistant Chief
H.W. Corbett was overcome by
the smoke and collapsed inside
a section of the warehouse that
would be fully involved just
seconds after he was pulled to
safety by Carolina Power and
Light lineman, Kimball Burriss.
Chief Corbett refused further aid
and returned to his post. At 9:10
a.m., Chief Croom called for two
more companies to respond, and
sounded a general alarm, which
recalled all off-duty firefighters.
He ordered the Max Manus to
pull away from the wharf, which
allowed the Atlantic better access
to the fire.
As the second alarm companies
arrived, additional lines were
stretched to the fire. Even with
these lines in operation, the crews
were continually forced backwards
by the rapidly spreading fire.
The fire walls did not seem to
hold the fire in check, and fire
was spreading both overhead and
under the flooring. Chief Croom
ordered the lines on the south side
of the Nitrate Storage Building
withdrawn and replaced in the
Tobacco section in an attempt to
halt the southward spread of the
flames. The Atlantic was forced
to move because of the intense
heat which ignited the stern of the
fireboat. Damage to the fireboat
was minor and did not hamper
operations.
Shortly after lines were set
up in the Tobacco section, the
stored sodium nitrate began
exploding in a series of minor
blasts. Two hoselines on the south
side of the Terminal Building
had to be abandoned because
of the spreading fire. Walls on
the north side began crumbling
and lines on that side had to be
withdrawn. By this time, the
entire west end of the Tobacco
Section was engulfed in flames
rapidly spreading eastward. The
Atlantic was then moved to the
west end of Warehouse E and
the crew attempted to prevent
that building from catching fire
by directing its monitors for
exposure protection. A portable
master stream was set up on the
east end of the same building for
the same purpose. The pumper
supplying the master stream was
connected to a private hydrant but
the supply was insufficient for the
operation. While this pumper was
disconnected, another pumper
was connected to a city hydrant
about 100 feet away to operate
the master stream. Before this
operation could be completed,
at 10:32 a.m. the first major
explosion occurred, blowing out
a section of the north and south
walls of the warehouse. The
explosion scattered large pieces of
timber, bricks, and hot, molten
sodium nitrate over a wide area.
About 15 men received burns
and injuries in this explosion,
and firefighting operations
were abandoned in this area.
Approximately 10 minutes after
this explosion, as firefighters were
attempting to move apparatus and
equipment further to the south,
Photographs by Hugh Morton, North Carolina Collection, University of N.C. at Chapel Hill.
A view of the fire in it’s early stages from the east. Note the Max Manus in the river away from the wharf.
Summer/Fall 2009
7
a second and worse explosion
rocked the area. This explosion
scattered more debris over the
entire complex, setting fires at least
1,200 feet away. A civilian who
was helping pull hose was severely
burned. He died of his injuries the
following Saturday. One pumper
was on fire and two others were
damaged. All the hoselines in
operation were destroyed. All
apparatus were finally moved to
the vicinity of Warehouse C. The
Atlantic once again was forced to
move because the wharf where it
was tied caught fire.
This last devastating explosion
ignited Warehouses D and E.
They became a raging inferno
almost instantly. Smaller fires
were burning in all of the other
warehouses, sheds in the railroad
yard, railcars, as well as brush
and crossties. “The first sign of
anything out of the ordinary was
the ground trembling, followed by
a low rumbling. Then an atomic-like
cloud of white smoke erupted
from the building, boiling skyward
at least 100 feet, exploding and
scattering molten nitrate of soda,
timbers, etc. Almost instantly after
the white smoke erupted from
the building, a loud explosion
occurred, followed by an intense
white flame that enveloped the
ground area for at least 100 feet
northeastward from the building.
The force of the explosion
knocked persons to the ground
who were standing at least 500 feet
from the building, and the heat
wave which followed seared the
exposed skin of anyone within 250
feet.
The Wilmington Morning
Star described the falling sodium
nitrate as “flaming globs raining
down.” Twenty more firefighters
were either burned or injured
during this explosion, although
most of the injuries were minor.
After this, a call for mutual aid
went out.
With all hoselines out of
action (most of them destroyed),
pumpers relocated, and more than
a third of his firefighters burned
or injured, Chief Croom had a
disheartening situation before
him. A stiff northeasterly wind was
pushing the fire at a steady rate
toward Warehouse C, which was
loaded with fertilizer materials. A
loading slip was all that separated
Warehouses C from D. Chief
Croom ordered the Atlantic into
the slip to protect Warehouse
C. Streams were placed on both
buildings in an attempt to halt the
fire spread. Firefighters brought
new hoselines online, even though
many of the men were injured.
Because they refused to quit, their
strategy worked and the fire spread
halted.
“Without our fireboat it would
have been impossible to halt the
spread of fire as the flames were
well out of reach of land-based
streams and too much credit
cannot be given to the faithful
men who stuck out the hell in that
area,” said Chief Croom.
About this time, two additional
fireboats from the U.S. Navy’s
nearby lay-up basin arrived and
joined in the fight. This combined
effort finally made the fire
manageable around noon. The fire
itself was contained after about
24 hours. A steady rain three days
later helped finally extinguish the
smoldering debris.
Fires Investigated
The investigation into the cause of
the fire began almost immediately.
Along with the Wilmington Fire
Department, investigators from
the Coast Guard and the FBI
conducted the investigations. They
narrowed down the cause to two
possibilities. The first cause was
a spontaneous combustion of the
stored fishmeal. Fishmeal generates
heat because of the oxidation
process. Historically, ships sank
at sea because of fires caused by
spontaneous combustion of the
fishmeal they were transporting.
Today, antioxidants added to
fishmeal prevent such catastrophes.
Investigators thought possibly
the stored piles had smoldered
underneath for quite some time
until the fishmeal vented itself
to the open air. Another possible
cause was electrical failure. On
the morning of the fire, the lights
in the vicinity of the fire were
flickering. An electrician went to
the warehouse and was on scene
when the fire was discovered, but
he had not located the trouble by
the time the fires broke out.
The investigation showed
that one cause of the rapid fire
spread was a delayed call to the
fire department. Employees on
site fought the fire with house
hose streams for approximately
10 minutes prior to calling for
help. Another contributing factor
was the failure of the Nitrate and
Tobacco Storage Warehouse’s
sprinkler systems. Only one water
gong was heard sounding during
the fire, and it was sporadic. A few
sprinkler heads were operating,
but they had no effect on the fire.
One possible problem was the
operation of several of the private
hydrants on site, which may have
left insufficient water to supply the
sprinkler system.
During the fire, the fire
department had four of its six
engine companies operating at
the fire. Mutual aid companies
included pumpers from Carolina
Beach, Wrightsville Beach, Winter
Park VFD, and a trailer pump
from the Coast Guard. Two engine
companies made the 60-mile
journey from Camp Lejuene to
be on standby. More than 100
firefighters were on scene, as well
as personnel from the Coast Guard
Port Security and Cutter Mendota.
News of the fire traveled across the
nation and rumors ran rampant
that the city was in danger of a
disaster similar to the 1948 Texas
City fire.
Chief Croom noted that the
reaction of the sodium nitrate
was unlike anything he had seen
before. The violent explosions did
not compare to previous fires he
had encountered involving the
chemical. During the fire, the
material morphed into a lava-like
substance that poured out of the
building and spread outward up
to 100 feet away, reaching depths
of 6 inches or more. He noted
that the reaction of sodium nitrate
under extreme fire conditions
is unpredictable and “discretion
should become the better part of
valor.”
The Aftermath
Final dollar loss was estimated to
be around $30 million. Almost
7 million gallons of water were
pumped at the fire, with an
additional 2.5 million gallons
from the fireboats. One of the
unexpected consequences of the
fire was a massive swarm of bees
that descended on what was
left of Warehouse D where the
sugar was stored. It was reported
that millions of the insects were
attracted to the tons of syrupy
residue left after the sugar melted.
The damaged warehouses were
never rebuilt. The remaining
warehouses continued in use until
fire struck again in Warehouse B
on Sept. 23, 1995. Warehouses A
and C were eventually demolished
a few years later.
Western view of the fire, which had been burning approximately 30-45 minutes. All of the warehouses to the left would eventually be fully involved.
The Fire & Rescue Journal
8
North Carolina Society of Fire and Rescue Instructors Conference
Honor guards from across North Carolina paid respects
to former Insurance Commissioner Jim Long, who died from
complications of a stroke in February. A memorial was held
Feb. 5, 2009 at Haynes Barton Baptist Church in Raleigh.
The following honor guard units participated.
Burial Service:
Skyland Fire Rescue
Burlington Fire Department
Forsyth County EMS Honor Guard
Rutherford County Firefighters Honor Guard
N. C. Fallen Firefighters Foundation
Chief Jones, Andy Woodall and John Rehnbok
Funeral Memorial Service:
Mar-Mac FD Honor Guard
Rocky Mount Honor Guard
Wake Co. EMS
Fairview Rural Fire Department
Jacksonville Fire Department, Tim O’Toole served as bugler
Wake District Pipes and Drums
A special thank you goes to Battalion Chief Rick Wood and Captain
Chris Sitton from Skyland Fire Rescue, the staff from N.C. Fallen
Firefighters Foundation, and the Raleigh Fire Department for their
assistance in the visitation, memorial and burial ceremonies. If you
or your department would like to start an honor guard or participate
in regional and state wide activities, contact Chief Rick Wood at
rwood@skylandfire.com.
What do you get when you
invite the best fire and rescue
instructors from North Carolina
to the mountains for several days?
The unprecedented opportunity
to learn the most up-to-date
training activities and procedures
coupled with the newest
information about National Fire
Protection Association (NFPA)
standards. Throw in all that plus
countless hours of networking
and fellowship, and you’ve just
described the 2009 North Carolina
Society of Fire and Rescue
Instructors (NCSFRI) Conference,
held May 7-9, at the Crowne Plaza
Resort in Asheville.
The conference began with
the presentation of colors by the
Buncombe County Honor Guard
and opening remarks by Asheville
Fire Department Deputy Chief
Scott Burnette and Assistant State
Fire Marshal Tim Bradley of the
North Carolina Department of
Insurance, Office of State Fire
Marshal.
The conference offered a
wide range of emergency service
seminars including specific
instructional resource tracks in
Fire, Rescue, Hazardous Materials
and Injury Prevention/Risk
Management. Not only did it
focus on instructional resources
and updates, but it also provided
insight on how to take care of
those who are closest to us. The
opening seminar was entitled “Are
You Serving Leftovers? Valuing our
Significant Relationships” delivered
by Parkwood Fire/Rescue/EMS
Chaplin Mark Holland. His
message reminded all attendees
that in the course of our emergency
service duties we must not neglect
those who are closest to us.
More than 100 fire and
rescue instructors attended
the conference. In addition to
the educational seminars, the
conference offered sessions on
mentoring, technical informational
exchange and an assortment of
other enjoyable activities. And
don’t forget about the networking
– networking offers emergency
services instructors the opportunity
to exchange lessons learned from
other experienced professional
instructors from all areas of the
state. These lessons can then be
brought back to the local level and
disseminated to fire and rescue
students.
Be sure to mark your calendars
for next year’s instructors
conference in Asheville, May 6-8.
Members of the North Carolina Society of Fire and Rescue Instructors who attended the Business Session of the 2009 NC Instructors Conference.
Summer/Fall 2009
9
By now most are familiar with the
new instructor policies recently
approved by the North Carolina
Fire and Rescue Commission
(NCFRC). One of the changes
made by the NCFRC that has
generated much discussion, centers
around the increase in the number
of years required as a qualified
Fire Fighter I and II instructor to
attend the Live Fire Qualification
course. Before July 1 of this year,
an individual only needed to
be a general instructor for two
years, requiring little or no actual
firefighting experience to attend
this qualification course.
While some who have been
impacted by this change may
view it negatively in regards to
their individual development, rest
assured that the provision actually
does the opposite. Experience
is the greatest of all teachers.
Therefore, thorough and intense
apprenticing under knowledgeable
and safety-conscious mentors is
vital to the health not only of
our personnel, but also to this
important form of training.
Too often in the past, young
instructors have attended the
Live Fire Qualification course
immediately after reaching their
two-year mark. Although these
individuals’ determination and
desire to teach and to learn is
great, they often lack the necessary
experience. As the saying goes,
“We start with a lot of luck and no
experience, the goal being to gain
a lot of experience before we run
out of luck.”
This brings us to the next point
of discussion when attempting to
improve live fire training across
the state. The number of students
attending Live Fire Qualification
courses that have been taught
the wrong methods and old ways
of conducting training burns is
disconcerting to say the least. All
too often, students will watch
the portions of the qualification
class concerning pre-application
of class ‘B’ fuels with a “dear-in-
the-headlights” look. Many
confess that they have never
used these practices during their
apprenticeships, often admitting
that their mentors showed them
only the old methods of “slinging
buckets.”
Another weakness often
exhibited by students is a lack
of understanding about how to
properly complete the paperwork
and permits required for live fire
training in their respective locales.
While this is just as important as
the actual burn itself, a disparaging
number of apprentices are never
exposed to this academic aspect,
showing up only on burn day to
help build fires and lead crews.
It is important to note that
these examples are not necessarily
an inclusive failure on the student’s
part, but rather the fault of the
trusted mentor that claimed the
student is ready to be qualified.
All qualified live fire instructors
have been operating under the
NCFRC pre-application policy
since 2005. Everyone that was
a live fire qualified instructor
before 2006 had to sit through
an eight-hour requalification
class concerning this significant
modification. It would, therefore,
be fair to say these changes are
no longer new or unknown, so
why do the same issues continue
to arise? Unfortunately, the fire
service is renowned for its inability
to overcome old standards.
Furthermore and unfortunately,
OSFM has increasingly discerned
failures by both delivery agencies
and qualified instructors to
operate within the NCFRC
qualification guidelines for
conducting live fire training. Two
major areas of concern are the
reporting of upcoming burns for
the purpose of random audits as
well as prompt and accurate injury
reporting by those responsible.
To combat failure to report
upcoming training burns within
the necessary timeframe – at
least 15 days before the burn –
a collaborative effort has been
initiated with the state’s Health
Hazards Control Unit (HHCU).
The HHCU regularly forwards
a current list of agencies that
have applied for and received
demo permits for their training
burns. This list is then correlated
and contrasted against OSFM’s
existing audit directory. This
additional source of data has been
utilized because of recent training
events that were not reported for
the purpose of random audits.
The other area of concern is
the accurate reporting of injuries
that occur during training. It is
essential to understand that this
includes all aspects of training, not
only live fire. The primary purpose
of gathering this information is
not to be punitive, but rather to
collect data to track trends and
factors that negatively impact
the safety of our personnel. It
is important to note, however,
that failure to accurately and
promptly report injuries, and/or
blatant disregard of safe practices
by instructors during training,
potentially places both the
instructor and the delivery agency
in a precarious and unenviable
situation.
With that in mind, one of
the recent NCFRC changes
with the potential to have the
biggest impact has been the
implementation of tangible
consequences for live fire
instructors that fail to follow the
practices and policies incumbent
on them. These range from a
written letter of caution, up
to and including revocation of
an individual’s qualification,
depending on the severity and/or
frequency of the offense.
While no one wishes to see
such measures put into place,
persistence by a few individuals to
constantly push the limits of safe
practices and required compliance,
makes this necessary. Imagine the
absolute chaos our state’s roadways
would witness without enforceable
speed limits. How fast would
some characters drive without
those known legal boundaries and
accepted subsequent penalties?
More importantly, how horrific
would the outcome be when
an accident occurred? North
Carolina’s instructors, and live fire
training in its entirety, can not
afford to pay that price.
Kevin McArthur is a training
specialist with OSFM.
Truth & Consequences: Holding Live Fire Instructors Accountable
Congratulations to the Autryville Fire
Department! The department received a
$967,422 grant from FEMA, which will fund the
purchase of 800 MHz radios for every Sampson
County Fire/Rescue and EMS unit. Pictured left
to right are: Chief Jakie Faircloth; Autryville
Fire Department; Station Captain Lee Sudia,
Autryville Fire Department; U.S. Representative
Mike McIntyre; Pittman Horne, Board President
of the Autryville Fire Department; and Town of
Autryville Mayor Pat Williams.
The Fire & Rescue Journal
10
...continued from page 4.
inside the fire room at the time.
The two safety officers tasked
with preventing the search
team from re-entering the fire
room were positioned along a
narrow hallway that led to the
former garage. Since this had not
originally been designed as a main
entrance or high occupancy area
of the residence, the hallway was
unusually small, measuring only
some 20 inches wide. The search
crew planned to make a quick
sweep of the fire room while the
fire was still in its initial phase,
then search the rest of the house
as the fire continued to progress.
A few moments after the two-man
team completed their search of
the renovated garage, one of the
safety officers yelled to ask if the
crew was out of the fire room, and
somewhere the response from an
unknown individual came back
indicating that yes, they were out.
The fire was raging only feet
away, emitting the organic sounds
that those in our profession know
all too well, the crackling and
roaring clatter that we actually
seek out in an effort to extinguish
the seat of the fire. Take a second
to imagine the intense heat and
the deteriorating conditions in
that small space, and the efforts
someone one might take to shield
their body from the firestorm
bearing down on them while
trying to be a gatekeeper to this
terrible fire.
Can you envision those officers,
pressed up against the wall in an
attempt to shelter themselves from
the inferno? Perhaps stretching
one leg across the small hallway
until the high heat forces them
to switch to their other leg all to
stop anyone attempting to pass by?
Could someone get past you in
that small 20 inches of blackness,
with the typical noises of crews
operating behind you and the fire
growling in front of you? I will not
presume to say that they would
never get by me. After all, we are
all human.
No one knows if the search
crew actually left the fire room
and inadvertently returned as the
conditions deteriorated, or if the
crew ever made it out of the room
at all. The only two individuals
that know the answer to that
haunting question died in the fire.
Regardless, in all the confusion,
the two safety officers thought
that the search team had moved to
another part of the structure, clear
of the fire room. Again, how many
of us can say that they have been
able to account 100 percent for
their people 100 percent of the
time during training or an actual
incident?
The fire raged on as the
interior attack team attempted
to keep it in check. Still, no one
realized that two firefighters
were trapped in the inferno
desperately seeking an escape.
As the incident commander
realized that conditions were
beginning to deteriorate, he
began to call for PARs from
his crew. Numerous radio
calls went out for the search
and rescue crew over the
next several minutes with no
response. The second fire
attack team was sent into
the house, but found
that they were unable
to advance because of
the large number of
firefighters already inside
the living room. Despite
the fact that there was
a RIT in the front yard,
no action was taken to
locate the unaccounted
for search team. Once
again, we have the luxury
of time and review when
scrutinizing the events of
the day.
Let’s place ourselves
in the IC’s shoes for a
brief moment. How
complacent are we as
a profession with our
radio communications? If
someone doesn’t answer
repeated calls, do we ask
why? Excuses like, “Oh, he
is just working and can’t hear
the radio,” or “She might have her
radio turned down or dropped it,”
are heard far too frequently.
An unanswered radio call on
the fire ground should be met
with the same response that a
downed firefighter would warrant.
Until there is verification that the
firefighter is safe, it is a rescue
operation, plain and simple. The
same may be said for integrated
PASS alarms in our business. Some
of our greatest safety innovations
have been degraded and discarded
because of the ratio of false alarms
to actual emergencies. In the case
of the Poinciana fatalities, over six
minutes passed between the first
attempt to contact the search crew
and the RIT was finally activated.
In the chaos that followed, as
crews were accounted for and the
fire was fought, someone spotted
a helmet in the window on the ‘A’
side of the renovated garage. This
was quickly dismissed as belonging
to the mannequin used for the
exercise, the same mannequin that
had been placed on the opposite
side of the house only moments
earlier. The helmet actually
belonged to Firefighter Dallas
Begg, who had finally collapsed
next to the window. On making
their way into the fire room, the
second fire attack team noticed a
form in bunker gear which they
also initially dismissed as being
the mannequin. This ended up
being the body of Lieutenant
John Mickel, who was eventually
removed through the ‘A/D’
window by the second fire attack
team.
As this disaster is being used as
a case study from which to learn,
and not to judge or second guess
those involved, it is important to
note the immediate activation of
all available resources in this case
would not have altered the tragic
outcome. By the time conditions
appeared beyond the scope of the
intended training, Mickel and
Bergg were gone.
Many were surprised when the
2007 edition of the NFPA 1403
standard did not include a new
provision that instructors shall not
dress mannequins as firefighters
because of the confusion in
Osceola County on that July day.
Regardless, this tragedy and the
next one we will visit in 2003
Miami-Dade have changed the
way the state of Florida conducts
live fire training. Today, the
NFPA 1403 document has been
incorporated into Florida statute,
making the 1403 standard law in
Florida. Anything outside of the
black and white wording in that
document is criminal, simple as
that.
An individual that was involved
with the Poinciana burn perhaps
summed it up best when asked
about the tragic events that
transpired on that hot July day.
He simply stated, “we had our
bases covered, we just ran them
backwards when it really counted.”
Kevin McArthur coordinates the
Live Fire Qualification Program for
OSFM. He can be reached at
Kevin.Mcarthur@ncdoi.gov.
Flashover occurs as the ventilation officer removes the window on the ‘A/D’ corner of the house.
Summer/Fall 2009
11
Are Mistakes Costing You Points During Inspection?
What is a common mistake made during inspections that
cause points loss?
One of the biggest mistakes seen by the ratings inspectors
during surveys is that fire departments don’t respond with
the correct apparatus on structure calls. For maximum
credit, inspectors are looking for the department to respond
with two engines and a service/ladder truck on all structure calls. Let’s
take a look at how not responding with the correct apparatus affects
your grade.
If the department does not run enough engines or ladders on first
alarms, there will be a credit loss – the department will receive zero
points. Even a crew of one, whether paid, paid on call or volunteer,
will buy full unit credit. Many towns and cities have found this out the
hard way. The worst possible situation is to not run a staffed vehicle.
This has happened a number of times and no credit was given for the
half-million dollar units. All communities will need at least two engines
and a ladder or service company to respond for full credit. Why make
the investment on this apparatus and then not respond with them on
structure calls? You can receive credit of up to 15 points for responding
with the correct compliment of apparatus. When staff looks at how a
department responds with its apparatus and the response shows where
the apparatus did not respond, they deduct points. For example, if your
department currently has two engines and only responds one engine to
75 percent of the calls, then you will lose points. Your department will
also lose points by not responding with your service/ladder company.
How can the program give you credit for equipment on your apparatus
if you don’t respond with it to the scene? The answer is simple – it can’t!
Departments have invested money in equipment and then lost points
because the apparatus carrying the equipment didn’t leave the station.
Inspection Tips
Q:
A:
Those who reside outside the
Central Piedmont region of North
Carolina may not be aware that it
holds one of the most abundant
and exceptional collections of
firefighting memorabilia offered
anywhere. It is here, resting on
the line separating Guilford and
Randolph counties, you will find
an unassuming building just
down the hill from a well-kept
country home. It is the home of
Chief Donald Whitaker, a well-known
leader in the fire service.
Whitaker’s passion for firefighting
began in 1941 when his father, a
state trooper, temporarily roomed
at a Goldsboro fire station before
relocating his family to his new
assignment. Whitaker’s family
returned often to visit the fire
house, and the fellowship displayed
by the firefighters remained with
him, sparking a passion for the fire
service equaled by few.
It comes as no surprise that after
50 years of adventures and travels,
Whitaker and his wife Ethel
found themselves with boxes and
boxes of wonderful souvenirs and
mementos. These keepsakes filled
every corner and shelf of their
quaint home. Finally, in 2002,
with his wife’s encouragement –
or perhaps insistence – Whitaker
built a 2,400 square foot structure
only steps from his home to
display and share his wonderful
collection with those who also love
the fire service. This special place
became known as Donald’s Fire
Haven Museum.
It took nearly two years just
to unpack all of the boxes and
organize the decades of memories
and memorabilia. The result was
a well-organized and accessible
collection, rich in both variety
and substance. Ever wonder what
a Russian firefighter’s airpack
looks like? Or how an early 20th
century ticker-tape alarm box
works? Just stop by and let Chief
Donald give you a personal tour
that you won’t soon forget.
Recently, Donald began a Web
site for his beloved museum. For
more information concerning
Donald’s Fire Haven Museum
including directions, contact
information and operating hours,
visit www.firehavenmuseum.com.
It is important to note that
admission to the museum is free;
however any and all donations
go to support the Muscular
Dystrophy Association. Enjoy
your trip back in time!
Donald’s Fire Haven Museum: A Nostalgic Look Back
(Above) Donald’s Fire Haven Museum combines a
comprehensive and detailed collection of fire service
memorabilia with home-spun hospitality.
(Left) Located on Branson Mill Road at the Guilford/
Randolph county line, Donald’s Fire Haven Museum rests
among the farmers’ fields and woods of the Piedmont.
1202 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1202
(919) 661-5880
www.ncdoi.com/osfm
The Fire & Rescue Journal
(Right) Matt Martin,
1st Lt.-Pilot Mountain Rescue and EMS,
is suspended by rescue rigging while
trying to free “Rescue Randy” a simulated
deer hunter with a medical emergency in
a deer stand. Captain Steven Ward North
Mecklenburg Rescue assists from the ground.
(Right) Derrick Manuel, Captain-Pilot Mountain Rescue
and EMS, prepares to rappel down the mountain side
during the Graduate Mountain
Rescue Exercise.
(Right) Morehead City Lt. Billy Beck
(rear) with Beaufort F.D. Engineer Brian
Beck (front) ascending from below
deck during a simulated ship fire.
(Above) Instructors involved in the delivery of the Shipboard pilot program (pictured left to right) Capt. Jamie
Hunnings, Morehead City Fire/EMS; Lt. Eric Stephenson, Atlantic Beach F.D.; Deputy Chief Jason Baker, Pine
Knoll Shores F.D.; Assistant Chief Craig Forlines, Morehead City Fire/EMS; Lt. Steve Marsh, Morehead City
Fire/EMS; FF/Paramedic Nick Salter, Cherry Point Fire/Rescue; Capt. Jack Manley, Morehead City Fire/EMS.
Shipboard Firefighting for Land Based
Firefighters Pilot held at Morehead City
Fire/EMS Department in June.
Graduate Mountain Rescue School